The Timeline

the key players

and the mistakes they made

President Obama

In public statements soon after the assault, Obama administration officials falsely claimed it was a spontaneous reaction to an offensive video, even though they had intelligence reports that the attacks were connected to terrorist groups tied to al Qaeda.

Benghazi whistle blower and former Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Gregory Hicks, has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the Obama administration's portrayal of the facts surrounding the attacks. Hicks has said his "jaw hit the floor" when he learned the administration was blaming the attack on a video. He never reported a protest, either.

"The only report that our mission made through every channel was that this was an attack," Hicks said. "No protest."

Hillary Clinton

The bipartisan Senate Foreign Relations Committee report found that the 2012 9/11 Benghazi terror attack as well as American casualties were preventable. The committee's report also found that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as the State Department, had failed to increase security at the U.S. consulate there.

During her testimony before the committee, Clinton was pressed on how and why four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed. She infamously declared, "What difference does it make?!"

One year after Clinton's testimony on Benghazi we still have very few answers about what happened. What difference does it make? To the American people, and the families of the fallen who have yet to receive closure, a world of difference.

Susan Rice

Rice appeared on 5 Sunday talk shows in the aftermath of the attack, reading inaccurate talking points devoid of references to al-Qaeda or terrorism and blaming the “Innocence of Muslims” film. She testified before Congress in a closed session in November.

In public statements soon after the assault, Obama administration officials falsely claimed it was a spontaneous reaction to an offensive video, even though they had intelligence reports that the attacks were connected to terrorist groups tied to al Qaeda.

Benghazi whistle blower and former Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Gregory Hicks, has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the Obama administration's portrayal of the facts surrounding the attacks. Hicks has said his "jaw hit the floor" when he learned the administration was blaming the attack on a video. He never reported a protest, either.

"The only report that our mission made through every channel was that this was an attack," Hicks said. "No protest."

The bipartisan Senate Foreign Relations Committee report found that the 2012 9/11 Benghazi terror attack as well as American casualties were preventable. The committee's report also found that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as the State Department, had failed to increase security at the U.S. consulate there.

During her testimony before the committee, Clinton was pressed on how and why four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed. She infamously declared, "What difference does it make?!"

One year after Clinton's testimony on Benghazi we still have very few answers about what happened. What difference does it make? To the American people, and the families of the fallen who have yet to receive closure, a world of difference.

Why you care: Rice appeared on 5 Sunday talk shows in the aftermath of the attack, reading inaccurate talking points devoid of references to al-Qaeda or terrorism and blaming the “Innocence of Muslims” film. She testified before Congress in a closed session in November.